The Washington Times reports that “Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle yesterday retreated from his criticism of President Bush for calling Iran, Iraq and North Korea an ‘axis of evil’ in the war on terrorism.” ‘What I said was that I think it is important for us to stand united in our determination to reduce the tension and to deal directly with these three countries,’ Mr. Daschle said, backing away from

“Tennessee was already replacing its social studies materials this fall, so high school and middle school students in the state will be using textbooks revised to reflect the attacks and subsequent war,” CNN reports. “Advance copies arrived last week at the state Department of Education, ready for perusal by state and local educators.” The books discuss Osama bin Laden, al-Qaida and Afghanistan. One includes a mini-biography of former New York

“Al Gore is accusing the Bush administration of showing ‘impatience and disdain‘ toward US allies in the war in Afghanistan. “He said it is crucial the administration show ‘a more evident respect’ for the coalition it has built or that alliance could quickly crumble,” Ananova reports. Well, what can I say here that John Cole hasn’t already said? — except maybe to note that if Al Gore really does decide

Bomb boy update: “A legally blind college graduate, described by a former roommate as a paranoid ‘hermit,’ was in police custody Wednesday after taking 28 people hostage in a university classroom and claiming to have a bomb,” USA Today reports. Fairfield police charged Patrick Arbelo, 24, of nearby Bridgeport with 28 counts of first-degree kidnapping early Wednesday. Authorities said additional charges were pending. […]Stephen Kriso, of Hasbrouck Heights, N.J., roomed

In an amusing aside to the ongoing Blogosphere porn wars, Bellicose Woman Kathy Kinsley writes: “Even in a committed relationship, sex is sometimes the equivalent of leftover tuna casserole. That doesn’t mean it isn’t worth eating.” Indeed. And it’s just as good cold, too…

So let me get this straight…Arafat’s now saying it was Israel who purchased the boatload of weapons it later intercepted? C’mon, Yasser. There’re conspiracy theories, and then there’s Oliver Stone… [update: More, from LGF…]

Victoria Toensing, a former deputy assistant attorney general who supervised terrorism cases, says there’s enough evidence to charge The Marin Mullah, Johnny Bin Walker, with treason.

Referring to the recent anti-American foment in the streets of Iran, Matthew Yglesias (of “The Matt Yglesias Experience”®) writes: […]obviously the Ayatollahs are manipulating public opinion here, but lets not forget that until recently the demonstrations we were seeing were either in support of the reformist President or else were in order to condemn him for being insufficiently radical. Turns out that people may not like having their nation, bad

Breaking news: FOXNews is reporting on a frightening situation at Fairfield University (Connecticut), where a former student claiming to have a bomb is holding hostage 15 students and the professor of a Religious Studies class. Developing…. I’ve always wanted to do that. I feel so…Drudgy…!

“Media mogul Ted Turner says the Sept. 11 attacks were an act of desperation, and the hijackers were ‘brave’ but probably ‘a little nuts,’ The Washington Post reports. “Turner, in a lecture at Brown University, also compared President Bush to Julius Caesar.” In a wide-ranging address Monday, the AOL Time Warner vice chairman said the attacks on the World Trade Center the Pentagon were an outgrowth of poverty. ‘The reason